U-23 Brazilian Footballers to Watch in 2022

Vinícius Júnior

Vinícius Júnior is probably the most famous under 23 year old player, he currently plays in Real Madrid where he is a first team player. Vinícius was born in 2000, and he first played at Flamengo, where he caught the attention of the Real Madrid scouts. In 2018, he was bought by Madrid, where he has slowly become one of the best youth players in the world. He has been playing for Seleção since 2019. Vinícius is known for his bursts of speed and strong scoring ability.

Rodrygo

Rodrygo also plays for Real Madrid and has established himself as a young winger to look out for. He moved to Real Madrid from Santos in 2018, and scored his first goal for Los Blancos within a minute of playing. He scored a perfect hat trick and gave an assist against Galatasaray in a Champions League game in 2019, at the age of 18 years and 301 days. Rodrygo was born in 2001 and has been playing for the Brazilian men's football team since 2019. He is a winger who can play on the left or the right.

Antony

Antony is a right winger who currently plays in the Eredivisie for Ajax. Born in 2000, he came up through the youth system in Sao Paulo FC and caught the attention of Ajax scouts in 2020. He has also played for the Brazilian football team, making his debut in 2021 when he came on as a substitute and managed to score a goal. He is left footed and plays as a right winger, usually using his dribbling abilities to set up his team mates, but he also has a strong shooting ability.

Gabriel Martinelli

Born in 2001, the youngster moved to Arsenal in 2019 from Ituano. The Brazilian forward has impressed in the Premier League and he is proving popular with the fans. He has played for the Brazilian team, participating in the 2020 Olympic Gold winning team.

Pedrinho

Pedrinho came up through the ranks in the Corinthians, where he played for 3 years. He was bought by Benfica in 2020, and the following year joined Ukrainian Premier League team Shakhtar Donetsk. The Brazilian forward was born in 1998 and has yet to be called up for the national team, though he shows huge promise.

Reinier Jesus

Real Madrid's third entry on this list, Renier Jesus is currently playing on loan at Borussia Dortmund. He moved to Madrid in 2019 from Flamengo, where he had come up through the youth system. The Brazilian attacking midfielder was born in 2002 and stands at a height of 1.85m, making a dominating physical presence on the field. Fans are hoping he will break into the Real Madrid starting team, where he can link up with Vinícius and Rodrygo.

Paulinho

Paulinho grew up playing for Vasco de gama, where he attracted international attention and was bought by German Bundesliga side Bayern Leverkusen. Born in 2000, he has yet to be called for the Brazilian squad in the World Cup qualifiers, but he was at the 2020 Olympics and he has a lot of potential for the future.

Talles Magno

Talles Magno was born in 2002, he currently plays for New York City FC as a forward. Seen as a talented youngster, he appeared in the Guardians’ "Next Generation 2019" where he attracted the attention of many big clubs in Europe.

Jean Pyerre

Born in 1998, the attacking midfielder plays for Turkish Super League club Giresunspor on loan from Gremio. He came up through the youth academy in Gremio, and is an exciting prospect for fans, who have called him the next "Paul Pogba".

Matheus Henrique

Also a player who came up through the Gremio youth academy, Matheus Henrique is currently playing on loan for the Italian Serie A side Sassuolo. Playing in the Italian league, he has improved his game and attracted attention from larger teams.